So I'm new to the bonsai thing, although I have been reading the posts and articles on this site for a few months. I just recieved a Ming Aralia bonsai tree from Amazon.com as an early Christmas gift
(you can see a picture of it by typing its name into Amazon.com), and am a little worried about it. It was not packed well - when I opened the box, the soil had spilled out into the packing peanuts and the bonsais (there are three trunks) came out very easily (as in, didn't stay in at all). I pruned the thick roots because they had formed three tight circles (just like when you pull other plants out of small containers). so my question is twofold - 1) did I damage the bonsai too badly by cutting about 50% of this thick root off and 2) is it better to get new soil now or wait for the roots to recover by (hopefully) early spring? If I damaged the roots, what special care should I give the tree to prevent it from dying?thank you for your help!
Should these not make it through (simple normal care and not messing with them is the best thing you can do for now), you might want to visit your local home store. They usually have 2-4" nursery pots of these plants, with dozens of individual plants in them, some of which already may have "trunks". There's not a lot of bonsai training information out there on Aralias, I don't think, but you can treat them as you would Schefflera.